In the manufacture of high-speed power transmitting shafts for use in vehicle drivelines, it is common practice to dynamically balance the shaft within predefined limits so that unwanted vibration is not produced during high-speed rotation of the shaft. Dynamic balancing is typically performed by securing a balance weight to targeted area of an unbalanced shaft to create a counter-imbalance that substantially or completely cancels out the imbalance present in the unbalanced shaft.
Modernly, balance weights are secured to the shaft using a welding technique (e.g., resistance welding). The welding technique, however, produces a heat-affected zone that can reduce the fatigue strength of the shaft. Alternatives to weld-secured balance weights, such as balance weights secured by adhesive materials or a technique that involves removal of material from a selected area of the unbalanced shaft, have been suggested, but such techniques are significantly slower than a balancing process that secures balance weights via welding. This is significant because the equipment that is employed to balance such shafts (at modern automotive volumes) is extremely expensive. Consequently, a relatively slower method of balancing an unbalanced shaft is not desirable, not only due to increased labor costs, but also because such methods reduce the efficiency and through-put of the balancing operation, rendering it more likely that one or more additional balancing machines would be required to maintain desired production levels.